Fears
by Dear. Dark. Destiny
Summary: "Fear. What is it?" The top of the chest flew open and out came...   IN RESPONSE TO: The 'Boggart' Challenge on Harry Potter Challenges Forum. Horace Slughorn and Peter Pettigrew


**A/N**

**In response to the 'Boggart' challenge in Harry Potter Challenge forum. **

**My characters are: Peter Pettigrew and Horace Slughorn.**

**The purpose of the 'Boggart' Challenge was to challenge the writers to write about their character's fears. I write today about Peter Pettigrew's fear. Horace is just there…so he really isn't that important.**

**Disclaimer and all that junk.**

**ON WIT IT!**

"Fear. What is it?" Horace Slughorn asked the class.

A girl, the one Peter wished would notice him, with long red hair shot her hand up in the air and shook it around a bit.

"Ah! Yes, Miss Evens?" he called on her and she put her hand down.

"Umm, sir? Where is Professor Toad?" she asked. This was an excellent question, for Professor Slughorn was the potions master and Professor Toad taught Defense Against the Dark Arts…this puzzled the class immensely.

"Professor Toad has become ill at present and is being looked after by Madam Pomfrey. I am substituting just today till Headmaster Dumbledore can find a real substitute. She should be fine…no need to worry." He waved his hand at them nonchalantly. "Now, can any of you tell me what fear is?"

Two of the class raised their hands nervously.

"Yes, Mr. Pettigrew?" Slughorn said his eyebrows hightening themselves an inch, for Peter never even raised a finger for a question, much less a hand.

"Fear is the—"

"Louder, Pettigrew!"

"Fear is the feeling of being afraid. I have a s-small f-f-fear of snakes f-for example. But It's all in the m-mind i-isn't it Professor?" he stuttered. He was barely louder than the first try, but everyone heard him.

"Snakes, eh my boy? Wonderful job Mr. Pettigrew! Wonderful job!" he said, clapping Peter on the back a bit too hard, making him cough.

"Y-yes sir."

"Now today we will all see what each others fears are through a Boggart… you were going to do this next week with Professor Toad, but as I am your teacher for now, and Boggarts are something I know very well of, we are doing them today! So, can anybody tell me what a Boggart is? Yes, Miss Evens?" he smiled jollily at his by _far_ favorite student.

"A Boggart is a magical creature designed to scare its enemies away by becoming their greatest fears." Lily said, the words flowing out of her mouth fluently without hesitation.

"Correct Miss Evens! Wonderful, wonderful! Ten points to Gryffindor. Boggarts are nasty little things. Even scared someone to death once or twice I think…" Slughorn trailed off and lowered his eyebrows and the children in the class's eyes grew wide so Professor Slughorn quickly picked up, "Never mind, never mind, that's the whole point of the lesson today! Today, you will be learning how to defeat one successfully. Boggarts prefer to reside in darkness, such as a cupboard, or quite possibly a bureau. The one we have to day—yes we have one with us!" said he after the looks on the children's faces of shock and worry. "However do you think we are to defeat one if we don't have one here! Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. The one we have today is locked up in this chest here."

"Professor?" asked a young, roughed up child named Remus Lupin.

"Yes m'boy?" he asked, faking a jolly tone.

"Why must we show everyone what we fear? Would it not be embarrassing?" Lupin's hair fell in greasy strings around his face and he seemed to need a good haircut. 

"Nonsense m'boy! Nonsense! Everybody has fears; I think it much better for fellow classmates to know at least _one_ thing about each other! Don't think of it as a bad thing! Think of it as good!" he turned to the chest in the front of the class, and right as he did, it began to move. The fine, antique crate shook vigorously and created quite a ruckus in the room.

"Now…who's first?"

Lily Evens shakily raised her hand.

"Good! Alright, come on up, don't be shy!" Slughorn took her by the shoulder and led her trembling body over to the chest. "When the Boggart jumps out, disguising itself as your worst nightmare, you must think of something extremely funny and yell _Ridikulus!_ Miss Evens, you will go first."

Horace Slughorn flipped a little latch on the top of the box and the ruckus ceased immediately. There was silence in the room while everyone held their breaths, waiting for the hideous creature to jump out, but what came out was not what they expected.

The top of the chest flew open and out came a very modern, almost pretty muggle girl. She looked at Lily, furrowed her brows, glaring at her, and turned her back. Beside this muggle was a desk with a piece of paper. The girl started writing something on the parchment that was easily read out to be: _I hate Lily Evens. I hate Lily Evens. _Over and over again she wrote it. Lily stared in horror at the girl at her desk.

"Lily? Are you alright? Remember, think of something that would make you laugh and shout _Ridikulus, _waving your wand like this." He showed her again.

Lily blinked twice and shook her head a little.

"_RIDIKULUS!" _she screamed at the sight and the girl had different clothes on now and the desk became a little dog. The dog started licking the girl and she yelped out, scared of the little dog and Lily laughed out loud, enjoying the girl's fear.

"Good…good, Miss Evens…" said Slughorn, suspicion and wonder in his tone, "next."

The children lined up as one by one Slughorn let open the chest and their worst nightmares came out to them as if on a silver platter, and one by one they shouted the defensive spell.

Last in line was Pettigrew. He didn't want to go, but alas, he had no choice on the matter.

"Pettigrew! Come, come!" Slughorn commanded, waving his hand towards himself, motioning for Peter to come to him.

He opened the chest and just as every other child in the room's had, his eyes grew wide in fear.

Out of the chest popped James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black, Peter's only friends at Hogwarts.

They, just as the girl had done to Lily, turned their backs on him, yet this time it was different. They did not sit at a desk, nor did they write _I hate Peter Pettigrew._'s on a piece of parchment…but what they did do seemed to scare Peter more than even talking about snakes had.

The three boys whispered to each other and glanced back periodically at Peter, laughing in an evil way that was hard to imagine they would.

The real Sirius, Remus, and James looked at the sight with horror and confusion as well as the other three 'clones' if you will, turned back around.

Taking out their wands, they began to advance on Pettigrew as if Lions preying for dinner.

Peter could not take it any longer and turned his head away, taking out his own wand; he turned back to them, his eyes blood shot.

"_RIDIKULUS!"_ cried he and the seen disappeared and a pile of dust appeared on the floor instead of the laughable thing he was thinking of. This is what happened when successfully you defeat a Boggart.

"My greatest fear is that my friends will turn against me and betray me." He whispered to himself and looked down to his Penny Loafer shoes.

The real three looked at each other in wonder and walked over to console their friend.

They would never betray him, they said. _They_ would never.

**So? I think I did pretty well…just sayin'. Thanks you guys and I hoped you enjoyed it! :D **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Happy writings**

**Caroline**


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